The Last True Shinobi
by Angelos D. Wolf
Summary: Feudal Japan has become the dominate power of the world. A young Rioichi Cooper seeks revenge against the corrupt and wicked who slew his family and destroyed him. The Emperor, his generals, and a shadowy adviser stand in the way of The Last True Shinobi.
1. Punishment

**The Last True Shinobi**

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_Author's note:_ If you haven't already garnered from the title, this is part of the "Last True" series as I've come to unofficially call it, but has nothing to do with Sly. Whether, it has a lot to do with his 14th century ancestor, Rioichi Cooper. My favorite of the Cooper ancestors would have to be Rioichi, and I've been thinking about material for a story of him and his part of the Cooper lineage. Anyway, I will most likely be having a part 2 of The Last True Crime if I find there is still more story to tell, but I also wanted to get another story out there, and I've been having this itch to write about good ol Rioichi. So, enjoy.

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_Legal necessities:_ I own nothing; Sucker Punch owns everything, except the plot and characters other than Rioichi himself. All characters and events depicted in this work is entirely fictitious, any resemblance to anyone in this story living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Tex

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**Chapter 1**

**Punishment**

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"**T**hey say he's a ghost, a spirit of a vengeful Shinobi wronged in his life and takes blood as his payment and tears the very soul from your bones."

"I hear that he sees his pray by tracking the scent of one's soul, and the tips of his feet so narrow, he walks across spikes like stepping stones across a river." Continuously the four soldiers shot their banter back and forth across the glowing red fire that blazed in the middle of their congregation. One began mimicking the movements of this "assassin of men's souls" the shadows he cast on the rocks behind him were of an accurate depiction of what he claimed had witnessed once before.

"It was in the dead of winter, the wind cutting so deep into the bone like the sharpened edge of a ninjato. I recall the cold, the frost causing my blade to become embedded in its sheath as locks of my hair broke off in glossy flakes of ice. It was then that I saw him."

"You saw him," one soldier, an Akita Inu leaned forward eagerly, the canine's bear like face contorting to an expression of complete anxiousness. "How did the devil appear to you? Like a wild beast or a spirit maybe?"

"No," he shook his head as he moved a paw to scratch the hairs under his head wrap. "He appeared to me as a man, as mortal as you or me. It was then that I saw him, but I did not know of his presence until afterward. He was a tall man, a very lean and toned figure, yet his body was thinner then a bamboo stock. He appeared to me, a tall solitary figure atop a white glazed hill, a strange garb hugging his body while a hood concealed his face from me.

"I turned to him, asking what his business out in the fields was, he baring not the colors of our enemy, or our own nation. He turned to me, a shadow clung to his facial features, and his head dipped low to conceal a pair of eyes that seemed to stare directly through me. It was long until he finally told me, until he finally spoke."

"You heard his voice? What did it sound like? What tongue did he utter to you?"

"He spoke in the Emperor's language, very fluently. His voice was like that of a winter breeze, soft and delicate, yet as cold and chilling as Hokkaido's blizzards. I as I said before, I asked him what his business as a civilian was out in the middle of the snow covered fields, just a few miles from our camps. And he answered me with that cold, soft voice, only one word. 'Punishment.'"

"Punishment? As in punishment for one's sins?" The soldier shook his head, breathing the crisp scent of the incense that burned on the wooden tray beside him.

"It was all he told me. Then when I was hailed back to the camps, I turned my head for one moment, and as I returned to where he once took refuge atop the grassy mound, he was gone. Not so much as a single footprint embedded in the snow."

"He must be a demon, just as everyone says," a feline spoke, blinking his blue eyes as the vertical slits of his irises shrank to the sudden harsh glow of the fire. "That man must not be of this world. He appears to everyone differently, as a shadow, as a glimpse of light, as a pair of eyes watching you in the darkness. And now he takes the shape of mortal man, walking among us with his efforts remaining unmolested."

"Susumu, you presume too much. Your young mind is jumping to conclusions and making accusations without a hint of actual fact. There is no such demon; only in stories for mothers to scare the naughty children do such ghouls revel."

"Then how do you explain what is happening back in the capitol? Where all the bodies of the lost night patrols have gone to? How do you explain no traces of anything? Not so much as a smell or drop of blood to lead us to a conclusion, not so much as a loose pebble in the roads overturned to let us know that someone was there. Only the mark, the mark that is swiftly inked on the walls and wrapped around the bolt of a crossbow."

"That is enough, Susumu. Your time in the capitol has softened your mind with the tiresome slog through the day of district patrols. We will speak no more of demons, am I understood?" The Akita somberly nodded his head and furrowed his brows defiantly, his young mind still holding the arrogance that is slowly erased with age and wear.

"Yes, sir. I understand." The dog then turned his gaze to the soldier in the far corner, sitting atop a stump while a corpse like listlessness covered his visage. "Osamu, you haven't uttered a single word since the fire was lit. Tell us, what is on your mind. Is there a story of the demon you wish to share with us?"

"Susumu, I have told you..." But his words fell flat as he noticed the silvery saliva trailing down the side of Osamu's parted lips. Slowly, he leaned forward until his face was buried in the ground, a sharp pointed appendage sprouting from his back. At once, the remaining four stood up and drew their blades; with unblinking darting eyes they surveyed every angle.

"What have I said, huh? What have I said? Everyone is thinking the same thing, I'm just speaking it. It's him, the hunter of men's souls, the demon Shinobi hungering for his payment!"

"Susumu, it is the last time I will warn you! Still your tongue or I'll have it cut from your mouth!" In a gust of wind, a blur of movement caught the attention of all that were alert to have perceived it, the flapping of the feathers against the wind as the dart sailed through the air and stabbed into Susumu's neck. Grunting, his body ceased to function as he collapsed to the floor. Three remained, yet they originally counted only four amongst them before Osamu and Susumu were paralyzed.

The captain slowly moved his eyes to his far left, glancing to the armored figure whose face was concealed by the mask of his helmet. Gritting his teeth, he quickly swiped at the intruder after he witnessed the disguised interloper feign a withdrawal. With the swipe of his own blade, he blocked the blow and quickly slipped his arm from the metal plated sleeve of his disguise and jabbed the tips of his fingers into the gaps of his armor, stabbing at the soft fabric and sensitive flesh under his metal hide while he shot out a foot to wrench the katana from the other's paws, using the two individual toe sleeves of his tabi to clutch the sword in his feet and smack the blade against the soldier's head. Three areas around his kidneys, two trailing up his back, and four, two for each arm were struck by his fingertips so quickly that the captain had not yet realized what had happened, his gaze transfixed on his astonishing display of footwork. His body went dead, his limbs ceased functioning as the katana in his grip felt thousands of pounds heavier.

Collapsing, he watched as the interloper discarded the steel plates of his garments, leaving him standing in the glowing light of the fire, dressed in the dark fabric of a shozoku, specifically the one designed for those in the art of Shinobi or "one who uses the art of remaining unperceived." The captain's eyes followed the intruder with a heightened sense, drawing in a breath as he felt the end coming for him. Instead of a blade sliding across his throat, he was jabbed in the neck by two fingers to the base, where the circulation from his brain to his body was cut off, thus rendering him unconscious. His feet glided across the damp ground as the intruder rummaged through the tents set up just a short distance away, his toes wiggling inside the tabi footwear that protected his feet from the ground as well as making his steps more silent than a falling leaf.

A long, thick grey and black stripped tail trailed behind him, slowly swaying back and forth as he crept through the stores of hoarded swag and loot from previous plundering from this particular group of military men. Pulling out a small piece of parchment, he laid it against the empty lockboxes as he brought out a small brush, the tip dripping with fresh black ink. With graceful dexterity, he swept the brush against the broad side of the tent, painting his mark upon the cloth. His breath escaped in plumes of silvery mist as he stood by the fire for a moment, smelling the precipitation in the air to the coming snow fall. A bag slumped at his side bulged with metallic riches, compensation to the wrongs and injustices given to him in his life.

Rioichi Cooper blinked his dark brown eyes, his brow turned down in a sturdy furrow as he placed a paw to rest on one of the handles of his curved daggers that dangled from his obi sash. He sighed for a moment, his body warming from the fire and began to depart as the flakes of snow began lazily drifting down from the heavens. Throwing the sack over his shoulder, he sprinted away through the trees until soil began to give way to cobblestone. Clambering up the walls that lined the city, he executed a twirl in mid jump until the tips of his feet perched atop a pointed spire. Like a bird of prey, he leered from atop his perch until he leaped from his post and landed as gently as a feather onto another roof.

The scent of thick smoke attacked his nostrils as he glance down to a dilapidated old structure near the commoner quarter of the city, near the main entrance. An old gnarled cherry blossom tree served as a bridge for him to scamper across and onto the roof of the small home where he peered into one of the windows, crudely covered by a soiled cloth. His furrowed brows rose slightly and eased away from each other as he saw rows of cots, the majority of them filled with the tiny bodies of children. Others crowded towards the furnace which was steadily growing dimmer and colder by the moment. One adult, an elderly gentleman crowded among the children as he helped to get them warm and situated into their beds.

Rioichi glanced towards the sleepy, hungry faces of each individual child before looking back to the old man by the fire. Drawing in a breath, he pushed back the curtain with an arm and slid into the sleeping chamber of the orphanage, clearing his throat noisily to grab the caretaker's attention. The elderly gentleman turned from the dimmed furnace as a wide smile graced his wrinkled face. "Rio-

His statement was silenced as Cooper placed a paw around his mouth. He pressed a finger to his lips to gesture for the caretaker to be quiet. "I've brought gifts for the children," he said, his voice sounding a bit warmer. "I hope my visit was in a timely manner."

"You're always welcomed here, Rioichi. And of course, the children never stop hounding me with when your next visit will be. Come downstairs for some tea and we can discuss your visit here." With a beckon of his paw, Rioichi followed the hobbling step of the spotted feline down to the first floor of the home. As he began to boil the water in the kettle by the small fire pit, he pulled a pair of chairs to the little wooden table in the dark chamber.

"Now, while the water boils, show me what you've brought for me today, boy." Rioichi spilled the contents of his bag onto the table, the glimmering gold's and reds and greens caused a hum to emit from the cat's throat as his whiskers twitched eagerly. Cooper cupped his paws and pushed the pile of coins to the caretaker, which he cleared his throat with a guttural hacking cough and shook his head. "No, no. That's far too much, Rioichi. I can't accept all of this without me giving you anything in return."

"You and the children have done so much for me already, too much for me to repay you fully in an entire lifetime."

"It was a simple act of kindness when you came almost half dead to our doorstep. I couldn't just leave you to die out in the cold night air. There is no need for you to be indebted to me. Besides..." his sentence died down as he heard the steam rising from the kettle on the fire. Sitting up, he clutched the warm pot and added the herbs into the water, the flavor of the leaves bleeding into the warm water and giving it a greenish brown tint. Passing a steaming cup to Rioichi, caretaker pulled back his whiskers as he took a sip. "It is far too much; the guards would become very suspicious if all of a sudden every child was dressed like a noble and this orphanage grew to twice the size it already is."

He brought a paw to his mouth as he chuckled and wiped the moisture from his lips, watching Cooper bring the tea to his lips, cupping one paw underneath the tea cup while his other clutched around it. "It is more than just for you or the children...it has also to assist in having our good Emperor begin to sweat a little, finding that his treasure stores are growing thinner while his people rise out of poverty."

"You have revenge guiding your step, Rioichi. That is a path to madness if you continue this. Don't let something so trivial rule your life, define who you are."

"It isn't something trivial! I wasn't robbed or beaten or stripped of anything. My life was taken from me! My mother, my father, they are dead because of him, and I intend to see that their souls can finally rest in the afterlife in the arms of Buddha!" He glanced up to the stairs as he realized his voice had grown loud with his outburst.

He heard no stirring from upstairs so he recollected himself and spoke more softly. "It is something I have to do, old friend. Madness or no, he has to shed blood by my hand! I have to take his life."

"You are a tormented boy. I am so sorry, Rioichi. No one so young should have to deal with what you've had to. I cannot stop you, I just pray you see through the fog of revenge and do not do something you'll regret."

"I understand...thank you. But there is still the matter of your gift."

"Please, if you're going after the Emperor, you'll need all the assistance you can afford."

"But you must take some; please...at least a new furnace for the children and better sleeping quarters. New clothing, more food, nothing too rich, just whatever is comfortable. Please, I'm not asking, I'm begging you. It's for the children."

"For the children..." The feline spoke with a nod of his head as he looked to the pile of gems that have been grabbing his wandering eyes for almost the entire conversation. "These gems will do...and a few coins for renovations. Everything else will go to you, Rioichi." Cooper slid the remaining of his loot into the bag and finished his tea quickly.

"Thank you."

"No, no. I should thank you a thousand times over for all of this. For what you've done for not just me or this place, but the children. They adore you, Rioichi, stop by more often. You fill them with hope, and in this day in age, they need all the hope they can receive." Cooper gave a chuckle and swung the sack over his shoulder.

"I meant thank you for the tea. I'll visit as frequently as I can, but for now, I should be leaving." He turned to walk quietly back up to the sleeping quarters of the children. Slinking back to the window, he reached into his bag and pulled out an eloquently carved ruby, the crimson gloss shining into his eyes from the reflection of the moonlight. He glanced towards the small bed where a child lay closest to the window.

The little grey and white fox girl lay asleep; her fluffy head resting against an old pillow wadded up and loose stitching poking out in all directions. Leaning down to the small face, he planted a light kiss on her forehead and slid the large ruby under her pillow. The raccoon always held a very large place in his heart for this particular child, she being the one who would sit with him all day long while he was recuperating from his injuries when he arrived here. She was amazing for such a little girl, so patient, so mature, and yet so adorable and innocent. Innocence was a rare thing to find these days, the girl's name, Aiko, meaning "love" "affection" and "child" seemed to fit her perfectly.

Giving his final respects, he slid out of the window and walked across the edge of the wall that lined the city, stepping lightly against the slanted, tiled tops of the walls, sprinting over the heads of patrols and late night city strollers who took advantage of the curfew being lifted for the time being. Somersaulting over a gap, he landed on the other wall of the narrow alley and ran across towards his destination. Pulling out a pair of specially designed spikes, he attached them to the soles of his feet and slipped on the palm pads that bore similar spikes as he climbed onto the side of a tall spire. As he reached the top, he balanced on the tips of his feet atop the pointed spire and surveyed the view, his sight limitless from the height at which he stood. He leapt as free and with disregard as one with no fear, soaring downward with his arms spread, his clothing flapping against him and pulling tighter with wind resistance.

Landing as weightless as a kitten on his feet, he pushed off with the tips of his feet, propelling himself forward as his arms were drawn back, a firm paw gripping the bag over his shoulder. Stopping, he clutched the side of the small building and scaled the vine covered side, pulling out a small key hidden inside a crack in the wall. Unlocking the window shutter, he slipped through and landed on wooden floors in the dark chamber. He tiptoed quietly, stepping over tripwires and pressure pads that would trigger the deadly traps he laid across his home. Sliding open the veil door to his bedroom, the bag of valuables was left against the wall.

Loosening the lace that held together his clothing, he let the fabric slide off his body as he slipped his feet from out of his tabi and unfastened the sash from his waist, setting the signature Cooper cane hooked daggers gently into their case, the red cushion that had small indentations housed the daggers perfectly in their case. Closing the case, he rubbed the base of his neck and sighed as he lit a small stick of incense and inhaled the scented smoke. A grey tendril coiled around his finger as he slowly waved it in the air, scattering the smog in intricate spirals that wafted up into the ceiling. Resting his head on the pillow, he sighed once more to the thick solitude that clung to the air around him as he finally closed his eyes.

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"_My son, you have finally become of age to understand the secrets of our ancestry." The large, barrel chested raccoon pulled out a book that seemed incredibly small in his meaty paws. "This book is what holds all the techniques of our family passed down from generation to generation and taught to all who used their skills as a thief." The small boy reached up to the book, but fell short as his father pulled it away. "This book is what makes the Cooper clan the masters in their element. _

"_This is a very important object that must be taken well care of for your entire career until you pass it onto the next generation of Coopers. Do not lose this." _

"_I won't, father, I promise." And with that, the boy reached up and clutched the leather bound tome that looked to have been very worn and ancient. It seemed as if all the years this book as seen was felt by the boy as he touched the worn leather. His father watched him with an overlooking eye as a grin spread across his wide face. _

"_You're a good boy, Rioichi," he said in the strange accent that was common in his native land. He remembered his mother telling him that his father hailed from some strange place where men wore skirts called "kilts" and lived in a place called "Scottish land" or something close to that. He grinned as his father placed a large paw that covered the entire boy's head and he playfully messed up his hair. "Go on, now. Start reading that thing closely, I can already tell you're going mad with wanting to open it." The boy scampered away as he passed his mother on the way up to his room. _

_The thin, petite female raccoon wrapped an arm around __Slaigh MacCooper's heavily muscled forearm as they watched their son depart from them. She stood up, gesturing for him to lean down as she planted a kiss on his cheek. "What was that for, my sweet lass?"_

"_To thank you for deciding to stay in Japan and giving me that beautiful boy for a son." _

"_Now, he's my boy too. And I hate it when you call him 'beautiful' like that, Emi. He's not beautiful; he's handsome, just like his old man. You eastern people and you're funny customs."_

"_This coming from a fully grown man who runs around wearing a skirt all day."_

"_Emi, I told you, it's not a skirt, it's a kilt!" A finger was placed over his lips to silence him. _

"_You know I just do this to make you angry. And then how you look so adorable when I ease that temper of yours."_

"_You've always been able to." He wrapped his large arms around her tiny figure and stood there in the living quarters, just enjoying the warm that radiated from her body. "Why did you marry me, pretty thing?"_

"_Haven't I already told you this before?" _

"_Aye, but I never get bored of hearing it." She sighed into his chest and giggled to his fingers dancing against the small of her back. _

"_Because you were different then all those other men, all the men in this country treating their brides as possessions to be fought over instead of love. That's why I picked you. That...and I liked the way you looked at me whenever we met at the market place." Rioichi sat on the stairs and watched his parents for another moment, enjoying seeing how they acted towards one another together. He silently wished that one day he could be like that with someone special in his life. _

_But as all young minds did, his thoughts wandered off to other things. He was far too young to think about something like love at the moment. He thought silly little girls were just that, silly little girls. Always giggling and bouncing and being obnoxious. But now was not the time for girls, as he hopped up onto his bed and un-strapped the leather cords that bound the legendary Thevious Raccoonus. _

_He quickly flipped through pages, first looking at all the pictures and neat drawings and sketches before actually reading any of the words written on it. Flipping farther into it, he found that all the pages in the back were blank, bare of any ink at all. Quirking his brows, he decided to flip back until he stopped on the pages that his father himself had filled out. He was able to read the sprawling letters on the pages, thanks to his father's teachings of his homeland. He was able to read Arabic, Egyptian, Old English, and the Celtic languages along with Japanese that his mother had taught him. _

_Although his Egyptian was a bit weak, he was able to garner most of what his first ancestor, a pharaoh by the name of Slytankhamen II, inventor of the Cooper Vault that his father had taken him to see on the large tropical island when he was a year or so younger and master of the invisibility technique. His heart thumped with excitement as he wanted to learn quickly the amazing ability to conceal one's self from sight. Reading the instructions carefully, he set the book open on his bed and glanced back towards it from time to time, mimicking the sketches of how to execute the technique properly. Relaxing his body, he drew in a deep breath and opened all of his senses to the immediate world around him, seeing all the colors of his room, the walls, the floor, the ceiling. Every small little detail being absorbed into his eye as his mind held onto each color and marking. _

_His body began to fade away until it was almost completely erased. Rioichi gasped as he opened his eyes and saw that he was looking down at his feet yet saw only the brown wood floors. Moving a paw to his face, he was able to tell his paw was waving in front of his face by feeling alone, not by sight. He grew nervous as he felt he would disappear forever, or the paranoia that his body was moving around without him being able to tell and he concentrated on becoming seen again. He drew in breaths as his heart raced to what he accomplished. _

_It wasn't until a loud crash from down stairs caused his ears to perk and he grabbed the book from his bed and started down the steps. A group of heavily armored samurai stood by the door, dressed in Imperial colors as a dark, winged figure strode into the vicinity, followed by the Emperor himself. Slaigh reached for the large stone cane that leaned against the wall and hefted the large blunt object like a war hammer. "What business ye have here, bashing down my door like that? Emperor or no, ye better be fixin' it before I smack you all out of my home!" _

"_Slaigh MacCooper, I have been addressed by my adviser that you are behind the sabotage of my advances in controlling the other settlements of my empire. Lay down your weapon and come with me."_

"_Ye can take my cane when you pry it from my cold dead paws!" In a flash of blinding speed, the tall, dark figure flashed a pair of golden yellow eyes as a pair of scythe like claws reaped across MacCooper's chest, the cane flailing from his paws. He grunted, but shook off the pain as his muscles acted as natural armor. "Hah, yer not good enough to spread butter on my toast, ye damned metal buzzard!" _

"_The Cooper Clan shall end this night, Celt. You and your mate will be mentioned only in the history archives." _

"_Emi, run!" Slaigh took another deep cut to his arms and he grappled with the dark intruder, along with the four samurai that piled on top of him. Bashing them against one another, he rendered the soldiers incapacitated to his overwhelming strength. He was left with the dark seething avian as the Emperor departed, leaving matters to his "adviser". Slaigh laughed a hearty laugh._

"_Come now, little canary. You may be able to pull the wool over everybody else's eyes, but not I. You won't win here, Clockwerk. Me boy's already got the Raccoonus, he's been reading it all his life and mastered every technique there is, memorizing them all without even having to read the damned thing again. It's locked away forever, away from you, me, or anyone on God's green Earth." _

"_As I said before, the Coopers will fall this day. You and all your wretched kind will become mere myth." _

"_Come at me, pidgin!" And with that, they clashed, Slaigh's brute strength only serving him as endurance as he wasn't able to land a single blow to Clockwerk's impressive speed. He was slashed to a bloody mess, the elder Cooper resting on his paws and knees as he looked up to the stairs to his sons horrified visage. He smiled at his boy one final time as the sickle like appendage of Clockwerk slowly rose up, and then was quickly brought down like an executioner's axe._

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Rioichi bolted out of his bed with a start, speckles of perspiration being thrown from his body as he broke into a cold sweat during his nightmare. He shook his head as he tried to drown out the sickening thud of metal claws sinking into muscle and flesh as the echoing screams of his mother burned at the backside of his eyeballs. He sat up; reaching under his bed for the small mark on the floor, digging his fingers into the gap on the floor boards where he pulled them up and retrieved a locked box from the hiding space. Opening the chest, the leather bound tome that was wrapped in scented silk graced his chocolate brown irises. He pulled open the book, flipping through the rough pages, his ears twitching maddeningly to the crinkling parchment as he turned the pages, one by one.

Glancing to the small table in his bedroom, he uncapped the pot of ink and dabbed the tip of his brush into it, pressing the brisling hairs of the brush against blank canvas as he wrote out more notes and personal virtues he wished to develop further over the years, and perhaps share them with his future generations. He halted in mid brush stroke as he almost finished scribbling out an intricate kanji sign when he thought about his purpose as a Cooper. He was already twenty, a few years passed the age when boys were now considered men, yet he had no wife, no sweetheart, no soul mate, not a single mature female ever pervaded his thoughts. He always preferred little to no interaction with anyone, including females, thinking them as more of a distraction than anything else. He had seen what happened to men when they were ensnared by love's embrace, or seemingly in love.

All he ever heard from men was how much prettier their "prize" was compared to that of others or how soft and empty they seemed. It was his duty to keep his family name going, but he felt it more as a burden then anything else. He was trained to feel no compassion, to suppress all emotion in order to achieve victory. The mental state was half the battle, the other half was much easier, be quick, aim for the soft spots, and always strike first. He honestly never pictured himself with a woman, let alone father children.

But he remembered the words of his father, his father who he idolized and adored, proud that he was his son. How humorous it was that they were almost nothing alike, his father a mountain of a man with arms as thick as tree trunks while he, a mere six feet in height, which was exceptionally tall for anyone in these parts, but measly in comparison to his father who was a few inches above seven feet. And where his father would lift and crush boulders with his fists, Rioichi would hold a knife to someone's throat and order them to move the boulder for him. Sighing, he ran his fingers through the bristles of his hair and bit his lip to the thoughts of what this book represented. All that the Coopers stood for, all the paws that had touched it before his and all the notes that were written in each page, and of course, the dreaded day he received it.

He was only able to escape that night with his life from the technique he had learned that very night. He then realized he never really did thank his Egyptian ancestor. Perhaps one day he would travel to the desert landscape and pay a tribute to his god, this strange black jackal that was a god of the dead. Such a strange position for a god, for where Buddha smiles and loves all life and creation, the Egyptians would embrace death with open arms. He kept an open mind though, for the world and all it offered, his father was from another country after all, he had no choice but to embrace cultural differences.

He then pondered the similarities of things. After thinking for a moment, he found that the reason he wasn't like his father was because he was mostly like his mother. A slender figure like hers, and their accent similar as well as embracing her Japanese heritage as his dominant side. He remembered his father always making comparisons to him and his mother as well. His eyes began to well up with tears, eyes so identical to his mother's. The warm salty moisture trailed down a cheek, beckoning for him to reach a finger tip up to the droplet where it clung to his claw tip and hung on it before dropping to the floor.

He missed them dearly, losing them as too young an age. No child should have to see their parents die before them, but that was exactly what he witnessed. From that day, he swore to do whatever possible to slay the Emperor and his advisor, that dark, seething creature of a being. He appeared to be of liquid blackness, those glowing, cold unnatural eyes were the eyes of nightmares. It was one of the main reasons he took up the art of Shinobi, hearing magnificent tales of impossible feats of agility and dexterity that they accomplished.

Wiping out countless men without alerting a single soul. Not so much as to lift a sword in defense for themselves. Their deeds only discovered after they were leagues away, leaving not a single trace of their involvement. The way of the soldier was no path for him, his thin body unable to sustain enduring combat for countless hours, yet perfect for striking quickly and silently. True strength to him was defined as not who swings the hardest, but who swings first.

Withdrawing another sigh, he looked to the charred ash of what remained of the incense he had burned before falling asleep and laid his head back onto the pillow. He was tired of mulling over his past, present, or future. All that mattered to him was the death of the Emperor and his adviser. When that day finally would come...that was it, it all ended. Nothing else mattered, not until the deed was done. So is the way of the ninja, only the path ahead matters, all other paths must wait.


	2. They Move South

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_Author's note: Hey how you all doing? I'm guessing you're surprised to be seeing an update on THIS story instead of Last True Crime. Well, that is underway but for now, I finished this and I decided to stop beatin around the bush and post the bloody thing. Sorry if I kept any of you in anticipation as of late. Well, enjoy._

_Tex_

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**Chapter 2**

**They Move South**

* * *

**A** bright beam of light pushes away the shadows of the night, washing away the grittiness and showing a friendlier side of the Imperial city. Despite it being ruled by a tyrant, the city was quite beautiful. Cherry blossom pedals littered the walkways as trickling crystal clear water traveled through the canals that zigzagged across the grounds, the cobblestone paths polished to mirror sheen. A soft breeze blew by, scattering more blossoms as one flew free from its perch atop a high branch, the blossom floating lazily down as it circled like the most graceful of dancers, landing softly and without noise on his shoulder. Rioichi slowly moved his head, the fabric of his hood moving along with him as he glanced at his shoulder, finding that the blossom had captured a ride atop it.

Hugging his cloak tighter against his body, he reached a paw out from the folds of the cape and plucked the flower from his shoulder, inspecting it with sharp eyes and delicate fingers. The scent wafted into his nostrils as it stained his fingers with the sweet smell. Cupping the pedal in his paw, he continued walking, the soles of his tabi making not a sound as his feet seemed to glide across the cobblestone pathways like a piece of ice sliding against marble. More pedals drifted down like the snowfall from last night as they clung to his shoulders and the top of his hooded head. One brushed against his ear, causing him to flick it annoyingly, but remained rather calm to the sights and splendors he now witnessed.

No matter how much he detested this place and its ruler; there was this certain air of calm and serenity whenever he took a morning walk. That calm and splendor was quickly shattered as he heard an all too familiar sound off in the distance, around the corner of a pale stone wall. It was a violent noise, a loud noise, a noise of a struggle. Quickly like the blowing wind, he bent low and sprang to his left, his legs pumping quickly as they carried him up to a taller perch, his cloak bellowing and flowing behind him. A group of guardsmen were harassing another homeless person, this one a young girl with tattered greyed out clothing and dirt soiled fur.

"Dirty thief, I'll have your paws!" A guardsman cursed. Pulling out a small blade, he held it flat atop the girl's wrists as two others wrestled with her, the fourth stood at attention with his back to the commotion, occasionally glancing behind his back. As he turned his head, Rioichi fell like the executioner's axe, landing softly on his feet as she rushed forward to the distracted sparrow. As the bird turned around, his reflexes caused him to pull on the handle of his sword from his sheath, yet it was halted as Cooper pushed the blade back into his scabbard and followed up with a few quickly placed jabs to the nerves of his solar plexus.

Two guards swung around and drew their blades as they rushed towards Rioichi. The raccoon's movements were like flowing water, swaying back and forth, darting from left to right as his cloak flapped and swung in the air. A moment into the dance of death, the curved blade of one of his daggers flashed from the confines of his cloak and sliced the back of one guard's paw, cutting the tendons like the strings of a lute and causing them to shoot back into the guard's arm, rendering his paw utterly useless. The second dagger flew from the shadows of his bellowing cloak and blocked the sweeping blade of the second soldier. Twisting, he grabbed the sword with the hooked end of his dagger and wrenched the blade free of the guard's paws, following up with a knee slam into the animal's stomach, then upper cutting him with the blunt side of his knife handle.

The final guard became tense as he used the frightened girl as a body shield, holding the knife to her sensitive neck. "Another step and her blood is on your hands, interloper." The raccoon stopped and sheathed his knives, his arms disappearing into the folds of his cloak as the muzzle that poked out of the shadows of his hood curved into a deep frown. His eyes moved within the hood, calculating the position at which the guard stood and the proximity of the blade to the woman's throat. His fingers danced inside his cloak, closing around a bouquet of sharp needles.

Spreading each needle so that they were clenched in-between each finger, the rest of his body relaxed as he patiently waited and watched. The guard's facial features relaxed as the blade drew a bit farther away from the fur of the weeping woman's neck. "You will not move. You are to be tried and sent to the axe block for your crimes!" Rioichi made no remark to the guard's words, but instead relaxed his fingers before his paw flung from the folds of his cloak, letting the lethal spikes sail from his fingers and stab into the man's paw.

The blade clattered to the floor and Rioichi had already gained the upper hand before it even touched the ground. Brushing his knuckles against the guard's throat glands, searing hot pain shot into his head as he collapsed rolling and croaking on the floor. He brought a paw to touch the man's neck, slowly squeezing and adding pressure to it until the man drew cold and fell unconscious. He stalked over to the other that held his bleeding, useless paw. Sliding the curved blade of his dagger under the dog's chin, he pulled off his helmet and grabbed a fistful of his hair, hoisting him off the ground.

"Tell me what the Emperor is planning...tell me everything." Adding pressure to his neck, the guard quickened his reasoning skills and began to confess.

"He's...he's beginning to move his armies farther to the south, in an effort to cease the Mongol's actions against the empire."

"What territories does he hold as of now? And where is his army heading?" His whispers were as cold as death himself while they flowed through his mouth with a silky smoothness.

"He...he has...I-I don't know all of them, honestly. All I know is that he moves south, men bearing our seal and their standards litter the territories."

"Who are the men in command? How many have claimed the territories? Tell me who takes direct orders from the Emperor himself!" His grip against the man's throat tightened, causing him to squirm and gag as he attempted to find the names that seemed to escape his mind.

"I-I don't know their names! They are generals, high ranked warriors of the elite armies of the empire. They move south, that's all I know!"

"Then you are of no further use to me." Instead of having the knife being pushed through the back of his neck as he had thought, it was instead replaced by the blunt force of the handle being slammed into the back of his head. Replacing his knife into its respective residence, Rio's ears moved to the sound of the small girl behind him. She quivered to the sight of him looking down at her from the shadows of his hood and slowly pushed herself against the wall. Walking up to her, he picked up a soft loaf of bread that was nestled against a pile of flower pedals.

Brushing what soil that clung to the dough, he placed it into her paws. "Was it this that caused all this commotion?" His question was received and she replied with a nervous nod. "A piece of bread shouldn't cost anyone their hands. Go now, leave and don't talk to a single soul, do you understand?" Again she wordlessly nodded and sped off. He sighed and drew his cloak tighter around him as he walked away.

* * *

"Bastards, spill my drink when I pay good coins for it!" Another screaming body flew through the air until he crashed into a wooden bench, splintering the furniture and knocking the unfortunate weasel unconscious. With a roll of his large shoulders, the giant badger scratched his white and black striped head and turned around, sitting his large girth on the small flimsy stool by the bar. The slender wooden legs bent to his weight and seemed as if they were ready to snap at any moment. "Barmaid, refill."

"Kenta, you've had enough."

"I said get me another drink, dammit!" He slammed his meaty claws onto the table, rattling the small glasses and causing a few to fall and shatter on the floor.

"No, Kenta. Not another, you've sucked every drop from the barrel like a damn leech. What am I going to serve the rest of my customers now? And it's not even mid afternoon yet."

"Just get that wrinkled old hag to brew some more in the back room. Woman does it all day and night; she could probably restock you fully before nightfall." The barmaid shook her head with a sigh and swept up the broken glass from the floor.

"At least pick up your mess would you?" Kenta grumbled and lifted himself off the stool.

"You damned felines ever stop nagging?" He grumbled under his breath as he hefted the weasel from off the floor and tossed him out of the bar. Rubbing his paws together, he returned to his stool, glaring at the other customers who stared at him. He looked up from the wood table to see the red and white face of the tigress' face glaring at him from her position behind the bar. "I liked it better when your old man ran the place; at least he was a good conversationalist."

"Back then, you were able to hold a conversation. Look at you, Kenta, always reeking of alcohol, sitting in that same spot day and night. Are you ever going to do anything else with your life?" The badger held a glass to the light and inspected what moisture remained in the cup before lapping it up.

"What else is there? I'm all burned out, nothing worth trying anymore. I've served my purpose, fought in many battles, and killed many men!" His last statement he spoke in a higher tone so that everyone in the bar heard him. "A worn out man like, me...I might as well just wait for the end to take me, why bother getting up and trying to find a job or...give up drinking."

The tigress shook her head and disappeared behind the curtain to the back rooms. Kenta sighed and scratched his head, his rough paws rubbing and scraping against the flesh under the fur of his scalp. "Emperor throws me away like a piece of trash after I carry his standard and spill blood in his name. Well...I might as well just wait for him in hell; we're both bound to meet each other there eventually."

* * *

They move south. Those words kept repeating in his head. A group of generals have divided up the territories, each one sucking the resources from the lands and feeding them to the Emperor. He mulled over his plan of action through the darkness of his cloak as Rioichi walked through the commoner's section of the city, bumping shoulders in the crowded streets. Any soldier unfortunate to have bumped into the raccoon's shoulder would soon discover their coin purse to be much lighter then it previously was.

Cooper dissected and examined each and every piece of information he has obtained throughout the day. The Emperor was heavily guarded, safe in the confines of his palace, so an attack on him was an impossibility as of now. Yet, if there was a way to weaken him, much faster than his previous actions of looting his soldier camps, then a potential weak spot in his defenses could become apparent for him to take advantage of. But first, he knew he would have to travel to these southern territories and stop what military presence was there. From what the soldier told him, and from what any other knowledgeable individuals had told him over the course of the day, these generals were the ones in command, acting as leader of each section that they controlled, each one of them connected.

This would be no easy task the more he thought into it. He would have to travel south, great distances through the mountains and valleys to a destination that he had no idea where it would lie. Before he would set out, he would have to figure out where exactly he would be setting out to. After that, it would be another task in itself to dispatch the commander of the territory and weaken the Emperor that much more. This is a task suited for more than just one man, even one as talented as himself.

He would need help, help from someone up to the challenge of dethroning the Emperor. Before any of that was to be followed through however, his grumbling stomach would need attending to first. Though he had more money then a noble, he preferred to use it more as a trophy collection then actual currency. What money he had, he would normally just give it away to those less fortunate, leaving him to ration what he did posses. He glanced around for a stand, something that sold good food at a cheap price.

His attention was diverted to an old bar establishment as he witnessed a screaming man being thrown from the entrance and out onto the street. He bit his lip but decided to step towards the building and fought against his better judgment. The tantalizing scent of baked goods tugged at his nose as well, leading him in with an otherworldly pull on him. The interior was as he expected, dim, smoke filled, and full of dregs. He immediately spotted a waitress and walked up to her.

Glancing up at the shadowed face, she gave a noticeably slight cringe as she put on a fake smile. "Hey, sit wherever you like, I'll send someone over to you soon." Rioichi nodded his head and silently walked towards an intact table by the corner, sitting underneath the flight of stairs that led up to the second floor. A waitress came to his table, setting down a small cup of steaming water and grinding in tea leaves. "I'm afraid that's all we have for refreshments at the moment. What would you like?"

"A few dumplings, please." He answered as he placed his paw flat on the table, sliding away his fingers to reveal a few coins placed on it. She took the coins and vanished into the confines of the kitchen. As he waited for his dumplings, he took a sip of his tea and watched the actions of the other bar goers as a source for cheap entertainment. Two were arm-wrestling in the far corner opposite of him, neither seeming to gain any leverage that is until the one on the left punched his opponent in the arm with his free hand.

After that, it only escalated from there as they both stood up and began pushing and shouting towards one another. Their squabbles and thrashing grew more violent as others circled them and cheered, circulating currency around the group as they placed bets. The display only made Rioichi mourn for the future of society if it continued down the path it was going. Their thrashing caused them to move around the bar at an erratic pace, one slamming into the other with enough force to send him crashing into the backside of an extremely large badger seated at the bar. No...Crashing didn't seem to emphasis the display, whether, the man splashed against the badger like a wave does on a wall of granite.

The badger grunted and stood up, not the slight bit phased by the smaller man's weight barreling into him. Rolling his shoulders, the large muscles on his back shifted and rotated as he flexed his arms and slowly turned around, a loud rush of air bursting from his flaring nostrils. The fighting stopped as both combatants stopped and looked up towards the towering figure before them. The badger sighed and closed his right paw around the man's head that had knocked into him. Squeezing, the smaller animal thrashed and shouted as he was lifted up from the floor by the badger's hand and was shoved into the roof where he stayed suspended while his head sprouted out the other side of the wood surface.

He then looked to the other fighter, the one that caused the man hanging from the roof to crash into him. He stepped back cautiously as he put up his fists in an attempt to defend himself. Throwing a punch, the badger halted the attack with an open palm and clasped his crushing grip onto the man's fist, his entire hand covering the animal's fist as he spun around and threw him down onto the ground. Getting a more solid grip on his arm, the badger lifted him up again and swung him over his shoulder, causing him to flop onto the floor once more. He cracked the vertebra in his neck and snorted in satisfaction as he returned to his stool.

Rioichi watched with great interest to the hulking beast as he continued to scavenge the bar for any alcohol. "That's another hole in the roof thanks to you, Kenta!"

"He knocked into me. I had to teach him a lesson of how to act in a bar. Besides, you should be paying me, let alone thanking me for keeping the roughness in this place to a minimum. It's better than that bastard in the palace and his 'royal guard' could ever do for you." The comment towards the Emperor caused Rioichi's ears to perk up to their fullest through the small slits that allowed them to poke out from his hood.

There was indeed someone with as much raw hatred towards the Emperor as he possessed in this town. And he seemed to have the ability to do something about it. He counted his advantages and blessings as he found potential help to his cause. As he finished his dumplings that the tigress had given him during the brawl earlier, he sat up and walked over to the hulking brute, sitting in next to him at the bar. The man known as Kenta darted his gaze to the shady character that sat to his right, but paid him no mind as he returned to staring at his glass.

He grumbled as he reached into his back pocket for some change. His paw was halted by the stranger who sat next to him however as he slapped three coins onto the table. "Allow me," he said in a whisper of a voice. Kenta furrowed his notched brows for a moment as he became suspicious to the raccoon's intent.

"You'll get no charity from me, so back off whatever it is you're up to." Rioichi couldn't help but give a soft chuckle.

"I witnessed how you dispatched those two, very impressive." Kenta folded his massive arms and grumbled, a gurgled belch passing his lips as he blew his putrid breath into Rioichi's face.

"You have something to say twig man, I suggest you say it. Otherwise leave me alone...I don't have much left of my life, so I might as well spend what I have by myself in peace."

"I see you are a man who takes things bluntly. Very well," Rioichi continued. "I overheard that you detest our glorious ruler of this city. May I inquire as to why?" The badger slumped his shoulders and laughed.

"Little man, why waste your breath forming fancy words when you can just talk in plain speak? I have more drink in me than a ferment barrel; better say what you gotta say quickly or I might not catch it all."

"Interested in helping me take down the Emperor?" Kenta's expression quickly changed as he got word of the Emperor's involvement.

"Meet me in the back of the bar, now." Rioichi quietly sat up as he followed the mountain of a man through the curtain to the back room and out of the door out behind the watering hole. He folded his arms over his chest again and raised his chin. "So, thinking of tackling the man in charge, are you?"

"Hopefully not alone if you agree to my proposal."

"Name it then."

"First I must ask, do you wish to risk your life in traveling to the farthest corners of the empire and brave countless ambushes from highwaymen, the scorching heat of the southern lands and the blistering cold of the north? Do you think you can take on the most elite of warriors that not even the demons of old can lift a sword against and battle countless foes at a time without so much as a stick to strike against skin forged of steel and face danger, starvation, and most likely certain death?" Kenta placed a large paw on his chin and stroked the end, his reddened eyes squinting in thought.

"Just why do you want to see him defeated is the question here?"

"Simple, revenge." Kenta's lips creased in a light smile as he brought a paw forward.

"Then you and I are in the same business, it seems." Rioichi was about to grasp the offered paw before the badger withdrew it. "On one condition, however." The raccoon glanced up and waited patiently for a response. "I get the first and last hit on the man when I see him face to face. And, you'll supply me with as much drink as I want. After that, my strength is yours, because I seriously doubt a small little stick of a man like you," he chuckled as he inspected one of Rioichi's slender arms by plucking it and raising it up to his face to see, "Would be able to face the entire royal army of the Japanese empire."

"Deal, now I just need to gather supplies for our journey."

"A journey?" Kenta grunted and made a guttural noise from deep within his throat before expelling a large rancid glob of spittle from his mouth. "And just where are we going? The Emperor's palace is right there." Rioichi followed the badger's pointed finger towards the tallest building in the city before shaking his head.

"I already know this. But if we storm the palace now, we'll be cut to pieces the second we come too close. We have to be smart about it." The raccoon reached for his coin purse and jostled it around, listening to the clattering of currency from within. "I think I have enough to last us a good week if we ration it properly."

He then glanced up and down Kenta's large form, giving a mental sigh in defeat. "Um...maybe three days is more accurate."

"You keep your food; I can get my own things. Besides, that purse sounded a little empty to me, certainly not enough to keep me full for our trip to...where be it again?"

"I never said."

"So...you don't know where we're going?" Rioichi remained silent for a moment. Kenta pressed his lips together and grumbled. "Well, thanks for buying my last round, have fun getting yourself killed." Cooper clutched Kenta's neck and kicked the back of his knee out, bringing the brute to his knees.

"No, Kenta! Listen to me!" The badger began seeing red as he narrowed his eyes and clamped down tight on his jaw. "I need your help, this is very important. Not just for my gains or for yours, but to show that there still is justice in this world. To show that no one is an exception to Karma, do you understand? Millions of people wish to do what we are about to attempt, but we're the only ones who can do this. But not alone..."

Kenta's tense body seemed to loosen up considerably as his expression relaxed. He nodded his head and wrenched his limbs free of Rioichi's grip, surprised that someone so small was able to incapacitate him with such ease. "You make sense...you've thought about this for a long time I can tell. All except the actual plan of action that is."

"I know that we must be heading south, to where and how far away, I don't know."

"You mean you've never traveled outside the city?" The raccoon shook his head. Kenta gave a deep _hmm_ in thought before a grin spread across his muzzle. "Well, you're in luck. During my military career, I've conquered my fair share of territories, quite a bit of traveling as well. If anyone can help you navigate the southern territories, it would be me. You can't trust the map makers in this city anyhow."

Rioichi would have exploded in laughter from the sheer unexpected luck of it all, but he preferred to remain as stoic as possible, letting a light smile of gratitude crease his lips. "Excellent. You wouldn't happen to know who reigns over these territories would you?" A large paw came up to stroke the end of his chin as he regained what memories he held within that fermented brain of his. Kenta sighed and shrugged his large shoulders.

"All I know is that the one closest of here is about three or four day's walk directly south. He's not much for public view; he's more the reclusive type."

"So he's paranoid."

"Now I wouldn't call the man paranoid, I enjoy my own privacy from time to time. But yes, he doesn't come out very often."

"Those in a position such as himself tend to be more cautious, and for good reason."

"Because he knows there's people like you prowling around out there," Kenta chuckled. "I understand now. You want to travel to every territory under the Emperor's thumb and snuff out all of his military intelligence. If there's no one to lead, everything will become chaotic and uncontrollable...making the Emperor vulnerable."

"You catch on quickly," Cooper spoke as he began walking. Kenta followed, occasionally having to break into a light jog to keep up with the swifter and long legged raccoon. "We'll need food, at least one map, nothing too expensive, just enough to show us if we would be heading into a cliff on our route. Do you think anyone is selling transportation here?" Kenta gave a scoff.

"Not unless you want to break yourself. Those caravans sell transportation far too high, it's basically robbery." Cooper frowned.

"Then we walk. As you said, it should only be a few days until we reach the next territory."

"Very well, but listen," He placed a large paw on Cooper's shoulder to halt his pace. "I've seen this man's chambers, they aren't easily infiltrated. As you said, he could be paranoid and that could cause problems as he will go to extreme measures to protect himself. Perhaps we should come up with a plan." Rioichi was impressed by the brute's execution on matters.

His time in the military had served him well. "Then we will devise a plan before we depart. Get what you can that you think will be useful to us in our travels and I'll do the same, money shouldn't be an issue unless we start trading in the noble's quarter of the city. But we should pack as lightly as we can."

"Alright, we should probably go some time in the next few days while the roads are clearer." Rioichi nodded and emptied his coin purse, offering the coin to his new ally.

"Take what I have, I'll collect more from my home and meet you in the market place. After this, we should take at least a day for planning and organizing, as well as mapping our future routes to make things easier." Kenta shook his head and combed his fingers through the short bristled on his head.

"Dammit now, boy, if you weren't so detesting of the Emperor, that strategical brain of yours could be put to some real use in the army." Rioichi cocked a brow as he raised his head towards the giant.

"I'd rather perform the seppuku ritual than serve that man in any shape or form." Kenta laughed with a shaking head.

"Fool samurai and their stupid stomach slicing. What honor is there in killing yourself to avoid the enemy of taking your life in battle? At least my way you can take them down with you!"

* * *

The jostling of keys and heavy footfalls echoed down the corridor as an elegantly clad warrior plucked the ring of keys from his belt, fiddling with them until he clasped the correct one to the door he now stood before. Unlocking the heavy iron lock, the wooden door gave with an unholy racket as it was pushed open, telling of its age without the keen eyes of a carpenter to say otherwise. "Old man," the dark furred cougar called through the dark chamber that was lit only by a few stray scattered candles. "Old man, are you in here?" The feline's call was answered by a rasp of a voice as it echoed from the darkness and dim glow of the candle flame.

"Dammit. Why can't I be left in peace for one moment," was the sharp reply. A flash of light flickered into existence from the blackness as the tip of a long stemmed pipe was ignited by the match until it was snuffed out, the bright glow of the match being replaced by the smoldering tobacco on the end of the anonymous voice's pipe. Stepping farther into the light so that his features were more discernible from the dark, a short hunched over fox stood in front of the guard, the light from the open door pouring into the room and revealing his form fully as he stepped a little closer, showing from his weathered visage to be of a moderate age. He rose what remained of his right eyebrow in a defiant gesture. "Well...what the hell do you want?"

"Our lord has been pondering what has been keeping you. He asked me to inform you that production had better increase, otherwise he might regret hiring you."

"Huh, hiring? Enslaving is more the term." The elderly fox scoffed, a puff of smog escaping his muzzle as he withdrew the pipe from his lips. "You can tell the good Emperor that the reason production has slowed because I refuse to build for him for the time being! The pompous blob can stick one of my fireworks up his-

"You best watch your tongue, Takumi. Least you want it cut from your mouth!" The fox's speech was halted as a blade was placed under his white and grey furred chin. Takumi as he was named simply took the pipe from his lips once more and slowly neared the heated tip of it in dangerous proximity to a wick that was connected to an explosive that was strapped to his left bicep.

"And you'll not dare kill me, least I blast you, me, and this entire palace straight to hell!" The guard withdrew his blade and sheathed it.

"Crazy old bastard," he grumbled as he turned to leave. "Have the plans drawn out by nightfall, or I will be forced to pay you another visit. And I'm afraid to say it will most likely be your last visit from me." Takumi gave with a dismissive flick of his wrist as he pulled out a small bag and poured out a pawful of combustible powder, glancing to the departing guard as he tossed the dark grains at him. The powder popped and crackled from being disturbed from smacking against the ground and the guard.

The cougar was blinded from the smoke as the noise of sizzling fire licked at his ears. There was no flame, nor anything remotely harmful in the powder, the concoction used simply for distractions. The guard however did not know this as he ran shouting to his dismay, slapping out flames that weren't there as he ran blindly down the hall. "Learn to respect your elders," Takumi called down the hall. The fox huffed in disappointment as a gust of smoke burst from his nostrils while he went back into the darkness of his chamber, returning to a large desk lit by a solitary candle and littered with brushes, parchment, and ink smudges.

He clutched both sides of his head and rested his elbows on the desk as he took his seat. He stared blankly at the fresh parchment he had laid out in front of him, knowing full well what was meant to be scribbled upon its blank face. He refused, no matter the powerful urge for him to create. His invention would just be scrambled around and used as something to kill people. His brilliant mind was his blessing as well as his curse.

How he wished he was back in the city of Sei-an, creating fireworks and magnificent displays of flame and light for the parades. If only in his apparent madness he hadn't failed to notice how unstable his latest pyrotechnic masterpiece was, he probably wouldn't have set fire to the entire displays, the noble's quarters, or his eyebrows for that matter. He chuckled slightly to the recollection of that day when his eyebrows were singed clear off his face, making him look more foolish than he already was. They grew back eventually, but as come and go with his indescribable infatuation for any and all things that was combustible, so too did his brows. He used to think all this exposure to his new toys were harmful to not only his physical state, but his mental well being as well... so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Now here he sat, in the dark behind a locked chamber door filled with stacks of papers five feet tall of inventions and designs for things he wanted to implement to rocket him to historical fame as well to better mankind. Yet all he was doing was finding new and more effective ways of exterminating life instead of helping promote it. Such was fate, how cruel the tides of the sea of life would rise and fall. Not all of his little tinkering was for killing. He had other implementations for help on the battlefield which seemed to be the only thing on the Emperor's mind at the moment.

Clutching the small devise with exposed gears and small twirling objects in his paws, he clutched a small knob and twisted it, cranking the small gears and springs from within and then letting it gently sit on his palm. The small propellers began to turn until picking up enough speed for the small gyro copter to lift off his palm and float through the air, creating an annoying racket as well as invoking awe into its creator. The wonders of technology never failed to inspire and shock him. As it landed into his open fingers, he set it down on the desk and looked through etchings and schematics for some of his more awesome yet fear instilling inventions. Inventions such as more sinister catapults that fired without manually cranking back each fresh load of boulders.

Portable cannons that could be carried by a single soldier and able to shoot heavy metal projectiles with enough force to shatter steel plating like glass. And probably the most sickening invention he had constructed, ammunition of various types used in the catapults to engulf large areas in flames, boiling tar, or poisonous gas. War had changed; thanks to his own doing he had changed the laws of battle. No longer did it matter how many men carried a sword following you, whether it was how effective you used these machines to wipe out entire battalions with a handful of troops. He was sick.

Sick of being double crossed into thinking the Emperor would implement his inventions for benefit to the growing world, sick of constructing weapons, and sick that he had very little say in any of these matters. But what if he could change that? He'd thought about this for long hours each day, silently thinking of ways to escape, his exquisite intellect coming up with powerful ideas. Yet there were still obstacles to climb over that he couldn't pass. At least not on his own, but with the support of a few of his toys would probably suffice.

He settled it; the fox hefted a large pack over his back that was brimming with explosives and any other tools he could fit into it. Littering his workplace with a trail of powder, he stacked kegs of explosives in his little study in order to destroy all of his documents and blueprints of his inventions. The most valuable and beneficial he kept for himself as he took the lit end of his pipe and ignited the trail of powder, the sparks steadily snaking towards the kegs as Takumi quickly ran down the corridor.

* * *

Rioichi and Kenta had met up at the market square as agreed upon, the sun setting and the pale face of the moon steadily rising in the sky as stars spotted the dark blue horizon. "I've got the food, the liquor, a few bedrolls...anything else?"

"I took the liberty of getting some lengths of rope and a good map. I also have my own food and supplies as well as some medicines and bandages. A few pots and pans as well as some tinder." Kenta smacked his paw against his forehead.

"Why didn't I think of a fire pit?"

"How much money do we have left?" Cooper's question caused the badger to reach into his pocket and count the shining coins in his palm.

"About twenty pieces left, good enough if we plan on only living a few more months..."

"Money won't be too much of an issue, my friend. We'll have plenty enough for traversing the empire. Now then, let us find a less crowded area for discussing our plans of action." As the duo turned to leave, a large rumble followed by an explosion of fire tore away at a section of one of the palace's towers. The ground shook as fragments of structure rained down as the populace went into a panic while guards clambered towards the wreckage. "What in Buddha's name...?"

"Quite a show...the Emperor's pyrotechnics must be getting sloppy."

"This is not good," Rioichi shook his head. "Now they will be on high alert after this, making our job all the more difficult when the time comes." Kenta shook his head in disagreement.

"Now I don't think this is such a bad thing. Gives us one more entrance into the palace," he chuckled. "Not too mention the Emperor will be pissed out of his mind that one of his towers was desecrated. But most importantly, I have a certain feeling his guards will be more preoccupied with the commotion, leaving the old fart wide open." Cooper eyes widened.

"An opening...an exploitation we could use to our advantage." Kenta nodded with a grin in agreement.

"I'm too big to get in there unnoticed, but you can slip in through the cracks and wreak as much havoc as you can while I get things in order for our trip. You may not be able to deal with him now, but we can at least make him sweat a little." Cooper, eager for vengeance nodded as he handed his bag of essentials to Kenta.

"I'll meet you here tomorrow at dawn. Organize and calculate our route as best you can. I'm going to get us little extra bargaining items from our proud ruler."

Kenta smirked as he departed, hefting both bags over his broad shoulders with ease.

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"It was most likely the old fox. This used to be his study." Two imperials conversed amongst another as they mulled through the ashes and debris of what remained of Takumi's study. Stomping on a small plume of fire, the guard grunted and sighed.

"The Emperor will raise hell after this. I can hear it coming now."

"Best make sure no one else hears you talking such things of him." The two slowly walked out of the collapsing chamber as Rioichi who hugged himself against the wall crawled through the tear in the wall from the previous blast. He was inside the palace, the thought sending a quiver up his spine. It was strange how easy it was accomplished, yet how satisfying that he was finally able to set foot inside. Creeping through the destroyed room, he peeked out and scanned both sections of the narrow corridor as he slinked his way down, daggers drawn and grasped in his paws.

He sniffed about, smelling the searing scent of blasting powder and burnt wood and mortar. His ears twitched to the sound of footsteps as he pressed himself against the wall and executed the invisibility technique. Watching with sharp eyes, the guard scratched himself as he walked down the hall, the plates of his armor clattering against one another. Farther down in the other direction, he noticed a section of the floor beginning to crack as it crumbled right in front of him, causing him to halt as he teetered on the edge of the large hole in the floor. Flinging back, he breathed a sigh of relief as he was able to stop in time.

Seeing a small sliver of floor against the side of the wall, he executed his father's technique of hugging himself against the wall as he inched across the small stretch of floor to the other side. He was amazed on how his father was able to use this technique from what he remembered of his girth and weight. The Cooper Clan was truly an amazing lineage. "Did you hear..." graced the raccoon's ears as he eavesdropped on another conversation.

"What's going on now?"

"Reports of some intruder on the premises for the past week now have been circulating around. The last sighting was near the Emperor's chamber."

"Just some fool trying to grab what he can while we're all hungry and tired during the night. Nothing's ever gotten past the security before, and I doubt they will now even with the explosion. Speaking of which, you think it was Takumi who's responsible for it?" The other soldier shook his head.

"The man certainly was crazy enough. Hell, I'd have done the same given being cooped up in some dark box all this time." As they were busy in their conversation, Cooper slid across the wall and grabbed one of the guards by the neck, kicking out one of his legs and slamming the poor soul onto the hard ground, knocking him unconscious in one swift and fluid motion. The second barely had time to shout as Rio's foot connected with his stomach and then slammed upward to fling him back with a blow to the chin. Clearing the bodies out of the corridor, he continued moving, the area opening up into a large hall adorned with banners of the Emperor's colors.

The large double doors caught his attention and he noticed not a single soul attending it. He surmised that the guardsmen were probably on the other side so he looked for another entrance, finding it in the form of a window already drawn open. Curious to why it was already open, he decided to not mull on it for too long as he leapt against one of the support columns of the large room and jumping off the surface to clutch onto one of the hanging banners, climbing up the soft fabric. Shifting his body weight back and forth by swinging, he used the banner as a rope as he swung closer and closer to the open window with every lunge. After one final good swing, le leapt from the banner and clutched onto the edge of the window, pulling himself up with arm strength alone.

Squatting on the window sill, he slipped on a pair of spiked pads that covered his palms. Using the spikes, his open palm dug into the surface of the wall he scaled across, crawling like an insect against the palace wall until he came to another window, this one also opened and having a hook tied to a rope slithering down the other side. Narrowing his eyes in curiosity, he simply slipped in and scaled down the wall using the conveniently placed length of rope to floor level inside the room on the opposite side of the double doors. Just as he expected, groups of assembled guardsmen with their hands at the ready to draw their swords had their backs pressed against the heavy slabs of wood. Slipping off the spikes, he replaced them into the folds of his dark garb and crept farther down the equally large chamber.

The ceiling stretched up for miles on end as he glanced around the elaborately decorated palace. As he slinked down the large halls, he stopped and pressed himself against the wall again and melted into the shadows as a party of soldiers marched down the hall. Watching them depart, he stalked away in the other direction, an unseen force or instinct driving him in the direction he was sure would be the Emperor's bed chambers. As he rounded a corner, he noticed a guard slumped against the wall in a defeated stupor. Tightening his grip on his daggers, his breath held in his lungs as he thought the guard had noticed him.

The animal made no attempt against the raccoon as the gray animal inched closer to the body. Seeing the dog's eyes closed tightly, he poked the canine in the chest a few times with the tip of his dagger. Then, nudging him with his foot, the dog's body rolled over onto its side and remained motionless. Sheathing one of his blades, he pressed a finger to the side of the canine's neck and felt a soft, weak pulse against his fingertips. The dog was still alive, yet knocked out completely by a solid blow to the side of his head as a dent in his helmet confirmed the raccoon's suspicions.

His brows narrowed harder than they already were to this as he cautiously stepped forward, eying the dog suspiciously. Staying close to the walls and behind the columns, he found an elaborately decorated slide door devoid of guard presence. Moving across the distance between the wall and the door quickly, he pressed himself against the wall adjacent to the screen; he gently slid it open and drew the curtain back, sliding in unnoticed. His eyes immediately met a thick form slumbering in a large bed shadowed by the curtains drawn around the area around the bed. The curtains were drawn in a section already, causing Rio to squint and dart his eyes around the sleeping chambers.

Creeping ever closer to the sleeping form; sitting by his bedside table, a display of elaborate jewelry adorning chains of gold and silvers caught his attention. Darting his brown irises from the fat face of the Emperor to the jewels, he reached for them slowly and pocketed each one, piece by piece at a time. There he stood, over the sleeping body of his foe, the thick Shiba Inu sleeping soundly without fear or worry. How the tempting notion of driving his blade through his open mouth as he snored crossed his mind several times, yet he stayed his paw. He watched his heart pounding to the memories when he first saw the man all those years ago break into his house and order the execution of his family.

Yet he still did not silence the man. He instead blinked hard and moved away from the curtained section of his chambers. The glint of gold caught his attention as the cabinet where his exquisite royal robes hung in display stared back at him, the jewels and shining silk glowed in the brilliant moonlight. His eyes began to shine along with the decorated robes as he inched closer to the cabinet, the suspicion of why it was already opened forgotten as he reached for the headpiece of the Emperor. As he grabbed the headpiece from the display case, another hand reached out and clutched it, the flat end of a blade resting on the raccoon's paw.

Darting his head to his right, he saw the owner of the mysterious paw staring back at him with blade drawn and face concealed by dark cloth. Like him, the intruder was dressed in the garb of the shadow warriors of the Shinobi. Rioichi drew his own dagger and pointed it towards the interloper in defiance as they both looked towards the grunting Emperor as he tossed in his sleep. Darting back, they both inched away towards the door, still holding onto the headpiece. As they emerged from the Emperor's bed chamber, the intruder swung his blade towards Cooper's head, who ducked and followed up with his own swing.

As they swung for each other, their paws were still tethered together by the headpiece they both clutched, neither wanting to let go as they continued to combat each other, kicks and swings of their lethal blades connecting against each other. Their intricate dance lasted for a moment until the mysterious prowler reached up and curled his leg around Cooper's arm, wrenching it free from the headpiece as he returned both legs to the floor. Such flexibility was astounding, even for him as he watched the shade sprint away. Not for long however as Cooper reached into his pack that was strapped to his belt sash and withdrew a pair of sharpened shurikens and tossed the lethal spinning blades towards his assailant. The hooked ends grabbed the stranger's clothes as he was pinned to the wall by the left shoulder and right flank.

Wiggling to break free, he clutched the blades to pull them from the wall, finding them securely planted into the hard surface. As Rioichi neared the incapacitated foe, he effortlessly plucked the headpiece from his other paw and pressed the dagger to his neck. Squinting towards the narrowed eyes that were surrounded by black fur, he reached for the cloth that covered his muzzle and pulled it free, finding to his surprise that the intruder was anything but a _he_. The delicate face of a female raccoon stared up at Rioichi defiantly as he himself pulled the cloth from his muzzle to reveal his face to her. Her eyes widened slightly but she was not as astonished to the discovery as Cooper was, finding his foe to be female.

His eyes softened considerably as his lips hung open slightly, blinking in her visage. She had delicate, soft features. A slender muzzle with a small pointed black nose and eyes the shape of almonds and just as richly brown as the nut he compared them to. Her cheeks looked stroke-ably soft as their rounded shape made her face look youthful and beautiful. Dark tendrils of hair poked out of the top of her hood as they stretched down her forehead, the remained her of her midnight black locks tied back and concealed by the rest of her hood.

Every part of Cooper begged him to leave the girl to her fate and leave with his prize, the part of him that saw women as only a distraction to his achievements. Yet the softer part of his heart, the heart that was notorious for all the Cooper males couldn't help but cause his eyes to drink in her youthful face, resting his irises on her soft, delicate lips for a moment. Slowly leaning forward, he gave his body to temptation as he pressed his lips against hers, his mouth parted slightly as he tasted her lip's sweet embrace. She cringed and squeaked in protest as her eyes fluttered as she found control of her free arm and slashed her open palm viciously across his face. Rio's face stung from the slap as he pulled away from her, his breath coming in slight gasps as he touched the burning side of his face and licked his lips.

His ears perked to the sound of feet clambering to their direction as he plucked the edged throwing weapons from the wall and set her free. Pulling up the cloth to cover his muzzle, he looked at her for a moment longer before sprinting away, standing on the edge of a window sill and executing an elegant dive from the edge and out of the palace. The female raccoon watched him depart before she herself replaced the cover of her mask and departed as well, sprinting down the length of the halls until she climbed back up the rope she had used to enter the hall. As she retreated away, landing on the slanted roof of another building, she lightly touched her lips and licked the sensitive flesh to taste the lingering sweetness of his lips that still clung to them. She looked back to the palace and watched a flickering shade bound down the street that was stories below her.

She was puzzled to why that man had kissed him. In any other circumstance, she would have let him continue to kiss her as her legs felt weak and her heart throbbed within her chest. She enjoyed the contact, yet felt that she was being taken advantage of and made her skin crawl. Her paw brushed against a foreign bugle in her pack as she reached in and pulled out the Emperor's headpiece, her eyes widening and glistening along with the sparkling jewels that adorned the noble crown.


	3. Making up Words

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_Author's note: After receiving a review from one of my long time readers, Winnow ask for the next chapter of this story, I felt like this story deserved some of my attention as my beta and I think on the next chapter of Last True Crime. I plan on doing a lot more after IO and me finish Last True Crime, like a story for Tennessee Kid Cooper and Slytankhamen II to name a few. It's good for us, since Sucker Punch had only focused on Sly's story throughout the games and not go too far in depth with the other Coopers, giving us a lot of freedom to experiment and give his ancestors their own stories how we want to. I'm excited, and I hope you all are too, what with the surprised success with Last True Crime, I'm looking forward to the future. That's my two cents for the night, time to hit the shower and beddy bye time for ol Tex._

_See ya around. _

_Tex_

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**Chapter 3**

**Making up Words**

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_**A **__woman's scream pierces his ears with its high frequency, finding the scream to belong to his mother. The large form of Slaigh swings his tree trunk arms out to slash at the slithering seething form of the avian ruffian as he reaps his gleaming scythe-like claws and tears at the large raccoon's chest. The Celtic behemoth falls to the ground, still thrashing as he wraps his large arms around the bird's neck into a choke hold and they grapple violently on the floor. Smashing a fist into one of the glowing yellow eyes, the shattering of glass fills their ears as the golden lens becomes marred by an intricate pattern of cracks. The struggle becomes all the more bloody as claws fly in all directions, the dark bird wriggling like a snake to gain freedom as his talons tear and sink into whatever they swipe against._

_The large Cooper finally releases the bird, rolling onto his back in a defeated exhaustion as all the warmth from his body leaks out in deep gashes and cuts along his arms and chest. With the looming vulture leering down at the gray animal, it slowly pulls up its razor edged claws and brings it down in one swift motion. _

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Rioichi Cooper gasped as his eyes shot open, the black pupils shrinking to pinholes as they darted nervously around him. Shutting his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, unraveling his crisscrossed legs and standing up from his meditative position on the soft cushion. His ringed tail flicked with anxiousness as his bare chest dripped with a cold sweat. Rubbing the side of his head, he felt a slight temperature increases from when he first began his daily meditation. He scratched his left ear, darting his gaze to the window and spotting the burning sun in the sky.

It had been about two hours since he started his meditation, sighing as he found that he over did it and let his mind wander into horrid memories trapped within his mind. He glanced to the door, grabbing the top half of a judogi and covering his exposed upper body with the light fabric. Opening the door, he stepped lightly around the illuminated room and spied Kenta, the large middle-aged badger squinting down at the map that was pressed onto the table in front of him. "Well," the raccoon stated, causing Kenta to quickly shoot his head in the smaller animal's direction.

"Dammit, boy, don't sneak up on me like that. Didn't even hear you open the door." Cooper smirked.

"Forgive me. How is the route planning?" The badger shook his head grimly.

"Well...hope you plan on walking through snow. The overpass through the mountains will be snowing this time of year, if it's not already frozen solid. We'll also have to move through this trail section here. An easy spot for ambushes."

"Highwaymen I can handle," the raccoon stated calmly.

"I'm sure, but that's not our only troubles. Don't you remember this is deathly close to Imperial territory?" Cooper smirked.

"The closer the better. Just as long as we get there, I don't care the cost. My soul's been prepared for death since I was an infant." He stared blankly out to the distance for a moment, before returning his gaze to the map. "Where is our first destination?" Kenta rubbed the back of his neck with a meaty paw as he heavily pressed a finger onto the parchment.

"There, Iwata. Pretty close from our own position on the southern tip of Aomori. A good three days distance at the very least." Cooper nodded.

"Then we leave now," he said. Kenta looked up from leaning over the map to better inspect their path.

"Very well, you seem too eager to keep waiting. Who knows you might go off like one of the fireworks from last night." He chuckled and clapped the smaller animal's shoulder, causing the gray raccoon to stumble to the great force of the simple friendly contact. "By the way, how did things go with raiding the palace? I saw you didn't leave with anything in particular save for a few necklaces."

"I left with something more important, although I would have enjoyed taking the Emperor's headdress."

"Care to explain," he questioned with the cross of his large forearms.

"Knowledge, my friend. I found that the explosion was deliberate, not an accident. Seemed someone fled the tower and detonated a large cache of powder kegs before departing." Kenta chuckled once more.

"We should find this man; probably make our task easier seeing that he went to all the trouble of blowing up one of his towers." Rioichi nodded, replacing his pale colored cloth with the more shaded, dark fabric of his shozoku, pulling the hood up and tying the sash around his waist. Sliding in both daggers strapped to each side of his hips, he continued mulling over all of his equipment as Kenta hefted the large sack of supplies over his shoulder, the large wooden kanabo club he carried resting on his other shoulder. The wooden club dotted with large pointed metal studs was almost three times the size of a traditional club the samurai carried, resembling that of something like a tree trunk studded with steel spikes. "The man we're looking for," he stated as both he and Cooper left their hut.

"He goes by Daimyo Hibiki, bit of a scrawny fellow. But he has to have done something right to gain the title as he reigns over his city in Iwata." Cooper already pictured the man in his head. He gave out relaxed, silent breaths through his nose as they walked, a large sum of coins and jewelry bustling inside of the pouches strapped to his person. He kept his cloak tight about him as he gracefully glided across the stone flooring of the pathway out of the city. "And then there was this time, when this fella' almost my size came rushing up to me. He and about five others were rushing at me from all angles around me. I grabbed ol Shinobu here," he said, squeezing the handle of his kanabo. "Took him by the handle, and swept them all away in a single swing, didn't even dislodge a single stud from the old club of mine."

"Quite impressive," Rioichi responded calmly. He faced forward at all times, watching the road in front of him as he continued listening to Kenta's stories on the battlefield.

"There's a reason they used to call me "Oni of war."

"Because you swung a kanabo?" Kenta laughed.

"No, boy. Because uttering my name was considered unleashing the very demon they claimed me to be from the abyss."

"You must have been quite terrifying."

"If only you knew me back then, boy. The things you would have seen. I may not be much to look at now, but I was stronger, bigger too."

"Larger than you are now?"

"At least twice as large! Ah...age truly is the most deadly of poison in this world." Cooper's ears perked up to a distant sound. He waved a paw, signaling for the badger to remain silent as he lowered himself to the ground. "What you doing there, boy?"

"Listening," he said laying his ear flat on the ground. Kenta grunted.

"That trick really work? Just a bunch of damned foolishness."

"Shh...I hear something." Kenta cupped a paw to his ear. "Five sets of sandaled feet, heavily set...moving this way."

"Sandals, eh?" Rioichi pushed off the ground and nodded. "Bandits?" The raccoon shook his head.

"Samurai. Their footfalls seem too heavy for light armored bandits. I don't recommend a confrontation. They don't know of our activities yet. We let them pass as we pass them, if it does come to blows...kill if you must." Kenta's brows rose in slight surprise as a grin crossed his lips.

"Certainly don't like to leave anything to chance."

"Less soldiers, less work for us when we reach our goals. We don't need anyone living to spread among their ranks of our operations." Kenta nodded and tightened the grip on his club as they continued down the road, the badger looking up to see exactly five samurai carrying the standard of their lord heading towards them down the road. As they neared, Kenta's knuckles whitened as he squeezed the handle of his club, glaring at the soldiers as they passed, the armored faces of the honorable warriors returning a similar look of hostility. They eyed the shadowed face of Rioichi for a moment until they passed by the two travelers without a word.

As the two groups took a few steps farther down the road, they stopped. The soldiers slowly turned their heads, leering over their shoulders to the two that had their backs to them. Rioichi closed his eyes and sighed comfortably as Kenta pressed his lips together as he anticipated battle. Cooper's paws moving on impulse to grip the handles of his daggers. The samurai turned their bodies fully around and clasped their armored hands onto the handles of their katana.

They must have recognized them, Cooper making a name for himself in the Emperor's city from his previous actions. Kenta dropped the bag over his shoulder and brandished his club, lowering it off his shoulder and letting the tip rest upon the ground. The five withdrew their swords at once, the ring of steel echoing through the still air of the road. Cooper's daggers slid from their sheaths, yet they remained unknown to his opponents as they were concealed under his cloak. Turning around, he bowed politely.

Finding that politeness would not sway them, he knew that they would simply brush off any word of pacifism so they continued leering at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move. Kenta grew impatient as he swung the club around over his head and growled. "Come on then!" They obliged his request. Three rushed forward while the other two took each side respectively.

Kenta blocked the first sweep of the folded steel blade, rushing forward to slam his shoulder against the armored hide of the smaller soldier, sending him onto his back. Placing his foot atop the samurai to keep him floored, he swung the kanabo wildly, smashing into two others and cracking their plated armor, along with the ribcages they encased. Rioichi stood still until the first of the two samurai stabbed towards him. Stepping out of the way of the stab, he hooked the curved end of his dagger onto the blade, pushing it down and bury into the ground as he brought the second dagger up to bury into the unprotected area on the underside of the soldier's arm. Kenta roared as he slammed harder into the unyielding armored bodies of the still standing samurai, finally shattering the plates and sending them flying back, unable to crawl back up off the floor.

Cooper, dodging each swipe of his foe's attacks, crossed his blades over his head to stop a blow that would have cleaved him in half and hooked the bladed with his "C" curved knives and wrenched the katana from the animal's paws, swinging the weapon around in the hook so that the hilt smacked into his face, dislodging the helm from the coyote's head. The one behind him regained his footing from his previous attempt at attack and charged from behind, Cooper crouching low as he tossed a shuriken from behind to bury into the unprotected neck of the soldier. Gagging, he fell silently, never to get back up. Kenta, finished with his battle, turned back to see the lone raccoon standing amongst the battered bodies of his foes, smirking in approval as he nudged an unresponsive reptile's head with the tip of his club. "A fine job."

"We should move," Rio stated as he sheathed his blades and they started walking farther down the road, their stride more cautious now. "How much farther until we reach the city checkpoint?" Kenta shrugged and reached into his pocket for the map, unrolling the cloth and squinting through harsh eyes.

"If we keep at a regular pace…should be at least by morning." Rioichi glanced up to the sky, seeing the sinking sun through a soft blanket of clouds.

"We should continue, then." The majority of the walk was spent in silence, Kenta fishing out bottle after bottle of sake as he guzzled it down. Smacking his lips, his movements were a little smoother as he let the rice wine's influence take hold of his body. Rioichi continued staring forward, his mind replaying the incident at the palace last night. The face of the woman he had met in the palace halls seemed to swim around in his subconscious.

She was beautiful, he repeatedly thought. Such grace and agility when they fought, that which was matched only by his own skills. He was not familiar of women being in the order of Shinobi, at least not within his own guild house. But she was gifted nonetheless. "So…who is she?" Rioichi slowed his stride as he felt a hard shoulder knock into his.

Kenta smiled groggily as the raccoon blinked in confusion from under his hood. "Who is who?"

"The girl you've been muttering about for the last five paces, that's who." The ninja's brows rose as he realized he had been speaking his thoughts out loud.

"She's…no one to be concerned with."

"Of course not," Kenta chuckled, rolling his huge shoulders. Craning his neck to the left to gaze upon the jagged peaks of distant mountains, he looked back down to the slim raccoon. "She only has 'grace and agility only matched by her beauty' as you so poetically muttered under your breath." Rio's face grew warm, but he kept his composure.

"As I said before, she is of no concern. Not to us."

"So…what really happened in that palace last night? I need to be kept in a loop here if we are to be partners." Cooper's ears lay flat against his hooded head as he opened his mouth to speak.

"The woman had snuck in along with me, intent on stealing the Imperial headpiece as I did. We met, exchanged blows, and ultimately I gained the upper-hand."

"Until…"

"Until…" he paused. "The guards were alerted of our presence. I allowed the woman to leave with her life…as well as the crown."

"Such a sweetheart you are, Rio. I would have you for a stuffy, no nonsense type of man." The raccoon was about to retort, when the smell of smoke caught his attention. A small plume of dark smoke floated up in the distance, begging the duo's attention. Kenta shrugged as Rioichi continued forward, a paw resting on the hilt of one of his daggers.

A mile or so down the road, they stood in front of a roadside campsite, quickly constructed and very small. They raised their eyes to see across the camp, the barren landscape was charred and pockmarked with soot covered craters in the dirt, some still smoldering as inky black tendrils rose from their deepest pits. "A warzone?" Kenta darted his gaze about, letting the large bag over his shoulder fall to the ground as he shouldered his club. "No…no there aren't any standards. And not nearly enough evidence of an army having been here."

"What could it be then," Rio questioned. A sudden loud explosion rocked their feet as the ground rumbled beneath them. The two exchanged glances as Cooper clenched his fist around his dagger. Walking a little closer to the campsite, they poked around the small soiled bowls and the bedroll, the small fire pit still glowing with embers. A high-pitched whistling projectile screamed across the sky until it arced its way down the ground, spiraling downward and leaving a trail of sparks in its wake.

"Fireworks," Rioichi chuckled. Kenta slowly shook his head, watching the snaking flaming projectile smash into the grown and explode in a shower of brilliantly colored flame.

"No fireworks like I've ever seen."

"Ha, it works, it really works!" The excited gleeful shouts came over the rolling thunder of the last explosion, Kenta and Rioichi quickly looking to the voice's source. The small hunched over form seemed to be lugging some sort of cylinder shaped object, setting the large object down, he pointed it upward, loaded a firework rocket into the spout and lit the wick with his smoking pipe. The fuse sizzled until a loud explosion sent the firework into the sky, where it spiraled upward, and then suddenly dwindled downward, smashing into the ground in a brilliant shower of sparks. "Now…if I measure the length of the fuse…I should be able to get them to explode in the sky. But how safe the distance would it be?"

"Good afternoon," Rioichi spoke, raising a paw up in greeting. The fox as they found the animal to be a fox quickly turned his head to the two animals and nearly jumped out of his wooden sandals. The red vulpine appeared to be of a moderate age, the area around his eyes dark and sagging. His brow bore deep wrinkles under his reddish fur as the hairs on his chin and the tips of his ears were growing a striking silver color. His body was covered with fuses jutting out from every pocket on his coat and slacks, a large dark blue sash wrapped around his waist where he stuffed tools and bombs of clay within.

His brows rose, at least what was left of his brows and squinted down the two animals. "You two…aren't from the Imperial palace, are you?" Kenta shrugged.

"Perhaps, what have you got to persuade me otherwise?" Rioichi waved a dismissive arm to Kenta and acknowledged the vulpine.

"No, we are not imperial. My traveling companion and I are simply on our way to Iwata when we came upon your campsite. Tell me good sir, what is that you are tinkering with?" The vulpine eyed them suspiciously for a moment, and then gave a little jumping jolt of what had to be a dance as he chuckled.

"Why, the future, gentlemen." Cooper and Kenta exchanged glances.

"It looks like a cannon."

"Correction, a portable cannon, one that shoots fireworks. You see," the small hunched over fox slapped Kenta's large paw away from his invention as he continued to explain. "Don't touch! It's still hot. As I was saying, what better way than a traveling pyrotechnician such as myself to have his own portable firework mortar?" Kenta scratched his striped head.

"Pyro….what? You're making up words now." The fox rolled his eyes and glanced up to the tall stalk of a man standing in front of him. The vulpine's ears measured up to Rioichi's waist.

"I understand you are the intellectual of the group, yes?" Rio smirked in amusement under his hood, but it was quickly wiped away from his face. "You'll appreciate the validity of this invention, I know. You've got the look of an imaginative mind about you, my ring-tailed friend. Come here, and gaze at the future of the world. I'll be famous."

"You'll be hanged for being a maniac is what you'll be." The fox narrowed his gaze to the badger and ten turned back to his mortar.

"As I was saying before your mentally incapacitated friend sucked back all the good air around here, this is not only a revolution for fireworks, but as a firing mechanism. You see, the small wick is placed within the bit here, then, a long needle is placed by it, and when the trigger mechanism is pulled back, the needle scrapes against the flint I have placed right here, causing a spark to ignite the wick, and burn the gunpowder stored in the chamber underneath it, propelling the projectile within with explosive force." Rio watched in silent amusement as he crouched down to level with the fox as he gazed at the cannon.

"Impressive," he said calmly. "And you made this all on your own?" The vulpine nodded admiringly. Kenta shrugged his shoulders and picked up the cannon, lugging the large cylinder in one paw.

"Seems flimsy," he grumbled. The fox shrieked as he jumped up, swiping his paws up as he latched onto his cannon, suspended in the air as his feet dangled above the ground.

"Let go you ogre, don't damage it. You sake brain brewed brute. You filth spewing club swinging alcohol swilling lunk-head, let go!" Kenta looked down at the shrill voiced animal dangling from the cannon in his paw and quirked a brow.

"Damned, you're annoying." He dropped the cannon, letting the heavy metal slam into the ground hard along with the fox.

"Blast it, you could have broken it, you manic-

"Enough!" Rioichi shouted. "Kenta, leave his things be. Sir, we meant no harm to-

"Yes, yes, yes," the fox shrugged off the raccoon's assisting paws as he got off the ground and dusted off his clothes. "All you young people are so destructive, it's almost an instinctive drive for you." He dusted off his clothing and took an irritated puff at his pipe, spewing circle after circle of smoke from the corner of his lips. "Touch it again and I'll assure you a permanent residence among the gods."

"That a threat, old man?" Kenta balled his fists, towering over the elderly fox who shot a sharp glance up to him.

"You best keep your distance now," he warned, the lit end of his pipe growing dangerously close to one of the fuses sticking out of the fox's sash. "Least things get too messy around here." Rioichi watched with slight amusement."

"Well…as long as we are all making friends, my name is Rioichi. My large and overzealous friend here is-

"Kenta, I heard already. A proud name that is…shame it's wasted on a worthless pile of meat."

"And pray tell what name the gods saw fit to bestow onto you, tiny man?" The fox bowed, billowing smoke from his lips.

"I go by many titles, but you may refer to me as Takumi." Takumi wrinkled his nose up to the badger above him and gave a dismissive glance, looking back to the raccoon. "Rioichi…a very familiar name…"

"It's quite common."

"Your clothes suggest you to be anything but common. You look more along the type of…a backstabber." Rio gave a warm smile in reply.

"First impressions can be deceiving." The fox returned the grin and reached up, giving the raccoon a slap on the shoulder.

"Too true, at least there is still some sense in the world. Now, if you'll excuse me," and he turned back, prodding toward his camp, Rioichi's sharp eyes catching a small hint of a familiar mark on the fox's clothing as he rummaged through the large bag next to his tent. "Aha," he proclaimed, holding out a ball shaped object. Loading it into the mouth of his cannon, he pulled off the small stalks used to hold the weapon up at a tilted angle and hefted the large weapon with both arms. Pulling back the thread that was connected to the cannon's hammer, the flintlock mechanism ignited the wick and the gunpowder within ignited.

A brilliant explosion shot the ball forward, the force of the shot sending the fox flying back several feet before landing on his back. Kenta hollowed with laughter until he glanced to the ball's path and saw its devastation. What foliage there was on the charred landscape was now reduced to dust as the trunk of a tree was splintered in half. Takumi picked himself off the ground and shouted. "Yes, yes, yes!

"It really does work. Never before have there been a machine capable of what I've just accomplished!" Rioichi clapped his paws together slowly, impressed by the power of the device. "You two," he said, swinging around and jabbing a finger towards them. "You two are the first witnesses of the new era, I tell you!

"And you've me to thank for it." Rioichi nodded his head, kneeling down to the fox's level.

"An amazing feat to be sure, but to what use are you putting it in?" The fox quirked a brow as Rio placed a paw on his shoulder.

"What do you mean, Rioichi was it? Well, whatever you've getting at, I'll take no part of." The raccoon grinned once more.

"You wouldn't happen to know of anything that deals with the recent destruction of our dear Emperor's south tower, now would you?" The fox's ears perked up to this and he raised his shoulders tensely.

"I…I'm a simple traveling firework maker, enough of your pestering, please."

"I am asking for your assistance, Takumi, not to pester you or to turn you into the authorities." The fox halted.

"How have you come to figure this?"

"I noticed an insignia etched on your clothing. A seal of the Imperial house. I also remembered your anxiety towards us for being Imperial officials sent here to arrest you." Takumi sighed.

"You are a sharp one, Rioichi. To which house do you hail from?" Rioichi stood tall, his body concealed within his cloak as he bowed his thin form.

"The house of the Cooper Clan." Takumi's eyes lit up as he turned around.

"The line of master thief?" Cooper nodded.

"I knew your name sounded familiar." The fox went back to his bags, diving into its deep confines. "You're the one, the ninja turned vigilante back in the Imperial city. I must say, I think the route of work has you stepping down the economic ladder, my friend." Rio's grin remained on his face.

"While saving the innocent doesn't give food on my table as well as killing for the right sum, I admit I have been sleeping better at night. Also, it gave me more time to hone my craft. Speaking of which," the raccoon the pulled out a cloth wrapped stick with a wick poking out one end, the wrapped stalk reeking of oil. "I believe this belongs to you." The fox quickly snatched the explosive from the raccoon's dexterous paw and replaced it within his sash.

"So…if not to pester me and expose my reason for fleeing the city…why have you come to my humble camp?" Rio glanced to the badger to his left.

"It was my strong friend here who actually gave the idea that we seek out who caused the palace's destruction before we left early this morning." The badger rolled his shoulders along with his eyes. "Takumi, we both are on a mission to sabotage the Emperor and his plans of conquest. Will you not help us to save this land from tyrannical rule?" The fox quirked a brow.

"There…is more to this tale than you are letting on I assume. For me to take this offer would be to exact revenge."

"Mine as well," Kenta grumbled. Rio looked to the eyes of the fox and blinked.

"Revenge is just a fortunate byproduct to bringing him down. But yes…that is what I intend to do." Takumi glanced among the two for a moment.

"You have a plan of action?" Rio nodded, pointing north.

"Iwata, the first city to fall before us and be liberated from the Emperor is due north of here, along this road. We are preparing to bring down Daimyo Hibiki, along with every other wretch who takes orders from the Emperor." Takumi placed a paw to his chin, scratching it in thinking.

"Taking out his military strength…he'll be left vulnerable. Along with his constant stream of materials coming in from other territories he's taken control of being shut down…he'll be nervous…open for a chance to strike against. It is a solid plan." The master thief's eyes grew anxious, but he remained calm. "But it is a plan full of holes, flaws."

"What flaws, old man? You could come up with something better?" Kenta crossed his arms, rising up his chin to the fox. Takumi brought his lower lip into his mouth to nibble at for a moment before squaring his shoulders.

"As a matter of fact, I can, and will."

"So…you will help us?" Rioichi leaned forward, awaiting a reply from the fox who continued giving an angry glance out of the corner of his eyes towards Kenta.

"Take me to Iwata, we'll walk amongst its people and learn of what our next course of action shall be. I'll come up with what I can from the information we gather and formulate a plan of action. Where this Hibiki is…what his plans are…his weaknesses." The fox offered out a paw to which the raccoon clasped with his own.

"Thank you, Takumi. We are grateful for your assistance." Kenta grunted in reply, shouldering the sack of supplies and starting down the road once more. "Even if some of us do not show any appreciation."

"Well, I would be sending you off you your deaths if I let you leave with that fat ogre leading the way. Help me gather up my supplies, then we'll travel to Iwata."

* * *

Iwata was something of a paradox when they arrived. Guards complained of the constant stream of refugees entering the city, yet the walls and gates were so thick, they couldn't leave as easily as they arrived. There was no snow at the moment, but the biting cold breeze hinted something to come for the three travelers as they would continue north. Iwata was small, miniscule compared to the Imperial city, but it was still sizable to be considered a city, and thus, of great importance to the Emperor. It was famous for its alchemical practices with herbal medicines and concoctions, an invaluable resource for the Emperor's armies, being able to self sustain itself when the warpath became all the more brutal.

Rioichi drank in his surroundings with an instinctive sweep of his eyes, noting every detail as they walked. Kenta grumbled to himself as he took a large gulp from the bottle of sake he had hooked on his thumb. Takumi, also with an inquisitive eye, squinted through his wrinkled lids and gave a rasp of a sigh. "Quite a sight," he mumbled. "Are _all_ these people refugees?" Kenta nodded, giving off a loud belch as he wiped his lips.

"It's a price of war; I've seen it enough times to never doubt it. But I never thought it would be this…far reaching." The first words the badger had spoken that weren't laden with explicatives for the whole two and a half days traveling to the city.

"All the more incentive for us to press on and put an end to this," Rioichi said dryly, stepping over the outstretched leg of a drunk passed out in the street, seeing similar sights at the city check point a few miles away. Turning back to his companions, Rio squared his shoulders. "We should find something to serve as a temporary hideout." Takumi nodded.

"I'm sure there are a few empty homes around here, I doubt any of the residents around here weren't evicted from the skyrocketing tax increase." The fox glanced around, sighing at the sights. "Two hundred yen for a damned drink, it's enough to make the gods weep." They continued on, ignoring the pleas of homeless and the insane mutterings of those gone mad in the head from a new strange ailment that had been sprouting up from the countryside. "See their eyes? A sure sign of the sickness."

"Contagious," Kenta questioned, covering his mouth with a paw. Takumi shook his head.

"It's a mental sickness, not a virus."

"Virus…?" The fox shook his head.

"Honestly, does anyone read anymore? It's Latin for toxin." Rio bumped shoulders with an ailing weasel that seemed to be oblivious to the raccoon as he continued staring forward like a corpse, his body trembling and shaking as he doubled over and vomited in the street. Cooper looked at the unfortunate man and cringed, but decided against helping him as he walked along after noticing guards giving them looks of suspicion. "Caused from too much stress on the body, I found many suffering the effects close to battlefields." Kenta glared at the miserable sight and shouldered his bag, continuing forward stoically.

Takumi led them on towards the poor district, each home as empty as the faces of the people who once lived in them. "This should do," the fox gestured to a condemned shack. "Dark, out of the way…"

"And falling to pieces. What's stopping the damned thing from collapsing on us the second we step foot inside?" The fox glanced around the building a moment.

"It has brass supports along the frames, it'll hold up, at least long enough for us. We plan on finishing here quickly, correct?" Takumi glanced to Rio who nodded. All three entered and took a moment to set up their equipment.

"It even has a little candle for us," Rioichi chuckled, reaching over to touch the stick of wax, his finger barely grazing it as the candle snapped in half. "Well…at least our eyesight isn't the worst in darkness."

"Speak for yourself," Takumi grumbled, setting his heavy pack down against the wall as he reached behind himself and rubbed his hunched back. "I don't remember the last time I ever had the good graces to gaze upon the backside of a young lady without having to make sure it was in fact a lady's backside." Rio grinned under his hood, pulling off his cloak and lowering the cowl from his head, his ears flicking as they found freedom from the confined slits in the hood.

"Kenta," the raccoon raised his chin to the badger. "You know of this city, correct?" The burly man nodded.

"Yah, I'll bet you'll want to know where Hibiki is, eh?"

"I'd be very grateful if you could point me in the right direction." Kenta chortled, his large chest rumbling with his chuckles.

"Daimyo Hibiki…what part of that name does not make sense to you, boy? He's not some petty citizen out walking the streets for you to stick a knife in his back. He has guards, sanctuaries, a large fortified estate."

"Guards and traps only serve to kill seen enemies. I don't plan on making myself known until we're miles from here." The badger shook his head.

"It's still not that easy, boy. Now, you're a skilled lot, not many can take down multiple samurai and walk away. But Hibiki is a smart leader and tactician, along with his bit of paranoia I mentioned on the road. He knows he's not well received by the populace, therefore is a very cautious sort. We have to plan this." Takumi scratched his chin.

"Showing hint of a brain, at last. But please, leave me to the plan of action, hmm?" Kenta flattened his ears and ground his sharp teeth together. "Now then, I noticed coming in the Iwata has a very bountiful sewer system. There was a large storm drain with a rusted cover, Kenta; you'll probably be able to break it open.

"Now, before that however, we'll need to gather some information, what's going on in this city. Rioichi, walk amongst the people and find out what Hibiki is doing."

"That seems easier said than done. Most people here don't seem the type for conversation."

"Then find other ways! Use your head. Eavesdrop, hold someone at knife point, bribe them, I don't give a damn. Or…if you're feeling like that would affect your morality too much…help an old woman across the market or give a beggar some money, then they'll have to give you something for a reward. Ask for information on an important matter."

"And what of you, old man? Only good for barking orders or do you have something on your plate as well?" Takumi chuckled.

"Of course. I'll do my part by watching guard patrols and the residence of the Daimyo. Kenta, while Rio gathers information, you'll accompany me to Hibiki's home. I'll need the protection incase problems arise." The three thought for a moment, and nodded in agreement.

"When we get all the materials that we need, I'll come up with a plan of action against Hibiki."

"How will we remain in contact, though? What if something arises and we're not together to tell each other?" Kenta snorted. Takumi merely gave a quick bark of a laugh and reached into his pack.

"We'll use this," the vulpine exclaimed, holding up what looked like a round ball made from bamboo and certain metal elements, the wire like frame of it showing the exposed gears and machinations inside.

"What is it," Kenta questioned.

"The future. Watch." Takumi gripped the small handle and cranked the device up, turning the switch sharply to the right. After a moment, the multiple propellers began to rotate, quickly speeding up so that the whirling propellers became a single disk like blur. The object then began to lift off Takumi's paws and floated in the air.

"I'm not too sure how to accurately control its flight path, but I'll figure something. Until then, I'll wind it up and send it upward. If you happen to be on a high place and see it floating about, head straight for it, I'll have a note attached to it with the current situation."

"But…what is it?" Rioichi quirked a brow as Kenta scratched his head, narrowing his gaze at the strange contraption as it buzzed about him like an insect, causing him to push it away with a paw as it came close to his head.

"I call it…a helix flyer."

"What in the gods' names is a helix?"

"It's Latin, you oaf. It means 'twisted' or 'spiral'." The fox explained as he made the motion as he twirled his finger in a circle in the air. "See, the helix flyer makes the same motion as it flies; the added force from the rotating propellers causes it to twirl in the air. It's still in its theoretical stages, but I believe the term is called inertia."

"Inertia…you're making up words again."


End file.
